Originally posted by Sean DeveneyMultiple sources confirm that, barring a breakdown, the 20-year-old age minimum will be a reality in the next collective bargaining agreement, which ideally would be completed this summer. NBA union chief Billy Hunter originally came out firmly against the age minimum, but that was before he had a real sense of how the league's rank and file (i.e., the veterans) felt.

The age minimum is not likely to be quite as simple as it sounds. College basketball junkies who think the rule change will send the country's best young talent back to the NCAA ranks will be disappointed. The NBA is looking out for itself with the age minimum, trying to protect the quality of play in the league — as it should.

The new proposal won't keep kids from turning pro and collecting legitimate paychecks (rather than those shady payments from college boosters and assistant coaches). That's because the league wants to tie the age minimum to an expansion of its developmental league, the NBDL, which will include 10 teams (up from six) next season. Eventually, the league would like to have 15 NBDL teams, with two NBA teams splitting each minor league roster.

The result probably would go like this: Players who want to enter the NBA from high school still can put in for the draft, but they will be required to go to the NBDL first. There they will collect their full rookie-scale salaries — a wrinkle that has made the proposal palatable for Hunter. NBA teams that own the players' rights can let those players develop in the minor league and bring them up when they are ready.

This is an exciting step. Fundamentals will improve as young players get better instruction and more game experience. But this is not going to send kids back to college. In fact, it could encourage more prep players to skip college.

Thoe only thing I find questionable about how this will work is the sharing of one D-League team by two NBA teams. What if those two teams each have a point guard they send down? Isn't there a potential for controversy in who is getting the minutes and things like that? The could do it like the NFL Europe league and have teams allocated players, but then they could already be doing that, I guess.

Oh yeah, I was going to compare it to how each NHL team has its own "affiliate" in the American Hockey League ... Hopefully, if this turns out to be a success, the NBDL will expand to even more teams so that each NBA franchise has its own complementary roster with which to work with.

Given that the NBDL is just an extension of the NBA, it may well not be expected to turn a profit as a separate entity. It's probably just thought of as more of a tool for the big leagues, and as long as the combined operation as a whole is healthy economically, it probably doesn't matter that the NBDL won't exactly rake in the cash.

But how much would these players be making in the NBDL? I realize that many teenagers would choose to play basketball for a living instead of continuing with school, but those scholarships are paying for a 40K+ education over 4-5 years.

Originally posted by JaguarBut how much would these players be making in the NBDL? I realize that many teenagers would choose to play basketball for a living instead of continuing with school, but those scholarships are paying for a 40K+ education over 4-5 years.

As the article said, the NBDL draftees would be paid the "full rookie scale salary" ... in other words, they'd be getting paid the same amount as if they were playing in the NBA.

Originally posted by JaguarBut how much would these players be making in the NBDL? I realize that many teenagers would choose to play basketball for a living instead of continuing with school, but those scholarships are paying for a 40K+ education over 4-5 years.

As the article said, the NBDL draftees would be paid the "full rookie scale salary" ... in other words, they'd be getting paid the same amount as if they were playing in the NBA.

Then that brings up another issue: Will their salaries count against the team's cap number?